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Adili's parents seek clarity in Divine's death: 'Sorry is not enough,' says mom
The parents of Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball player Divine Adili are seeking answers about how their son died during a team-building activity last Monday, saying apologies are not enough after head coach Tab Baldwin broke his silence on Friday.
Adili, along with Rene Baterbonia, died during the activity, during which the university said they were engulfed by massive waves and a powerful current.
In an exclusive report by Bea Pinlac on 24 Oras Weekend on Saturday, Divine’s mother, Ifeoma, said she wants to know the truth about what happened.
“The justice that I want is the truth, explanation on how everything happened,” Ifeoma said.
“No clarity at all. For now, no clarity.”
The family also believes there were insufficient safety measures in place during the activity.
“He doesn’t know how to swim. I think what they should have done is to ask them, ‘Do you know how to swim,’” Ifeoma said. “They didn’t provide anything for their safety. They just carried them to the big open sea like that.”
“There’s supposed to be a life jacket. There’s supposed to be divers… That’s what I mean by carelessness,” said Divine’s father, Elias.
The parents added that Baldwin has yet to speak with them.
Baldwin, in a video posted by the university on Friday, apologized for what happened, but Ifeoma said it was not enough.
“No amount of words. What is sorry? Sorry is not enough because no amount of words that would make Divine come back to this world again. No amount of apology. what has happened has happened,” Ifeoma said.
“The damage has been done, and it brought my family into a very big problem,” Elias added.
Divine’s parents are still waiting for the results of the autopsy before his remains are flown to Nigeria.
“Let his body come first in good condition. That is our main priority, the body in good state,” Ifeoma said.
Divine's remains are currently at the Loyola Heights campus of Ateneo.
Despite their grief, the parents said they will always love and remember their son.
“I would like him to know that I love him so much and he will forever remain in my memory. I’ll still be proud of him,” Ifeoma said.
“We are proud of him. He is forever in our minds,” Elias said.
—JKC, GMA News
